Police: Five suspects charged in shootings of two Oakland officers

OAKLAND -- At a sometimes emotional news conference Tuesday, authorities announced the charging of five suspects in the shooting of two officers last week, reiterated that violence in the city is unacceptable and heard Chief of Police Howard Jordan vow to catch the gunmen who wounded a 7-year-old girl in the leg Monday.

A city councilman also again called for a state of emergency to be declared to deal with violent crime.

Jordan said the girl, who was shot during a drive-by in the 2200 block of 65th Avenue where she was visiting relatives, was doing well but remains hospitalized. "We will catch the shooters. We are coming after you," said the chief, who asked for the community to provide leads.

Jordan also praised the work of Oakland investigators and U.S. marshals with identifying and capturing the five suspects in the officers' shootings. Four were arrested in Oakland and one, who was using an alias, was arrested by marshals Friday in Houston as he was about to board a flight to Mississippi.

Assistant district attorney Paul Hora said his office will aggressively prosecute criminals "whether for shooting a police officer, a little kid or anyone in between." Noting that 12 Oakland murder suspects have been charged in the past eight weeks, Hora said he knows that with all the violence people have "a feeling and perception of hopelessness, but there are results."

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Newly elected Councilman Noel Gallo again called for a state of emergency to be declared to deal with the crime issue and to give Jordan all the tools he needs to curb crime.

"This madness in Oakland has to end. We as a community have to take ownership" to reduce crime. He said a state of emergency, an idea being researched by the city attorney, "may offend some people. But that's too bad. Ask the people being shot on the street how they feel."

According to court documents, four men have been charged in connection with the beating and shooting of undercover officer Eric Karsseboom on Jan. 21, and one man with shooting Officer D'Vour Thurston in the leg on Jan. 25.

Two of the four charged in the Karsseboom case are accused of directly being involved in the attack, in which one of the officer's guns was taken before he was shot in the arm.

They are Deante Kincaid, also known as Glenn Wilson, who was the one arrested in Texas, and Damien Edward McDaniel, 23. Another man is being sought in the attack.

Kincaid and McDaniel are charged with second-degree robbery, assault on a police officer with a semi-automatic firearm, assault with a semi-automatic firearm and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Two other men, Purvis Lamar Ellis, 26, and Joseph Pennymon, 22, are charged with violating parole and being felons in possession of firearms.

All four have past felony convictions ranging from stealing cars to armed robbery and are suspected gang members.

Court documents reveal a short but intense struggle between Karsseboom and three men. The three attacked Karsseboom while he sat in an undercover car during a stakeout, and one grabbed a pistol the officer had stowed in the center console, the records state. Karsseboom immediately identified himself as a police officer and ordered the men to stop, but they ignored him and continued to beat and pistol-whip him before shooting him, according to the documents.

"(They) told Officer Karsseboom that they didn't believe that he was a police officer and at one point, told him that they don't care if he is in fact a police officer," Officer Leo Sanchez wrote in a court document.

The man charged in the shooting of Thurston was identified as Nathaniel Cook, 30, who is also accused of trying to rob another man and attempting to carjack a taxi before the confrontation with Thurston in the area of 49th Avenue and East 12th Street. Cook is charged with six felonies including attempted murder of a police officer and two counts of second-degree robbery. Cook surrendered after another officer shot at him as he and Thurston were chasing him.